The European Parliament has stepped up pressure on the EU to tackle poverty head-on, urging the European Commission to recognise poverty as a violation of human dignity
and to commit to eradicating it by 2035.
In a resolution adopted on Thursday, MEPs called for stronger funding, clearer targets and closer coordination between EU institutions and national governments to combat poverty and social exclusion. The own-initiative report was approved by 385 votes in favour, with 141 against and 53 abstentions.
At the heart of Parliament’s message is a warning that poverty remains a widespread and growing problem across the EU — particularly for children. Lawmakers stressed that one in four children in the EU is currently at risk of poverty or social exclusion, a trend they described as unacceptable in one of the world’s wealthiest regions.
Child poverty at the centre of EU action
MEPs are demanding a major boost to the European Child Guarantee, the EU’s flagship programme aimed at ensuring vulnerable children have access to free healthcare, education, childcare and healthy food. They want a dedicated budget of at least €20 billion for the scheme.
Parliament is also calling on member states to earmark a minimum of 5% of their European Social Fund+ resources for projects tackling child poverty. For countries where child poverty rates exceed the EU average, that share should rise to at least 10%.
Jobs, wages and social protection
Employment remains one of the most powerful tools against poverty, according to the report. MEPs say full employment and strong social protection should be core goals of EU economic policy. They urge the Commission and member states to strengthen labour rights, promote fair wages and enforce the principle of equal pay for equal work.
To address in-work poverty, Parliament highlights the need for better access to affordable childcare and more personalised career guidance, particularly for people in low-paid or insecure jobs.
Access to housing and essential services
The resolution also stresses the importance of universal access to public services. MEPs are calling for increased public investment to guarantee access to housing, food, clean water, sanitation, energy and transport across the EU. Such measures, they argue, are key to breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty and improving social and labour market inclusion.
On homelessness, Parliament wants the EU to adopt an action plan to end homelessness by 2030. The plan should include targeted support for children and families, people who have lost their jobs, and women.
Giving people in poverty a voice
Beyond funding and policy reforms, MEPs insist that people experiencing poverty must be more involved in political decision-making. The report calls for measures to strengthen their participation in the design, implementation and evaluation of policies that affect their lives.
A call for ambition
Rapporteur João Oliveira (The Left, PT) said: “The anti-poverty strategy must be ambitious. It must address the structural causes of poverty, promote a fairer distribution of wealth, improve working conditions, ensure robust investment in public services, and guarantee access to decent housing for all. The active participation of people experiencing poverty in the design of the policies, as well as an adequate budget, are essential to achieve this.”
Background
According to European Commission figures, 93.3 million people in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024, including around 20 million children. In 2021, the European Parliament called for an overarching EU anti-poverty strategy, while the European Pillar of Social Rights action plan committed the EU to reducing poverty by at least 15 million people by 2030, including five million children.
The European Commission is currently preparing the EU’s first-ever anti-poverty strategy, which is expected to be presented in 2026.